Means for renovating phonograph-needles.



J. E. SIMPSON & C. J. PAULSON.

MEANS FOR RENOVATING PHONOGRAPH NEEDLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2. 1911.

1 ,292,89%. Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

- 10 11 .l 15 2 5 ii L 5 75 9 6 I -1 gin/ll 10/? c ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. SIMPSON AND CHARLES J. PAULSON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MEANS For. RENOVATING PHONOGRAPH-NEEDLES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES E. SIMPSON, a citizen of the United States, and CHARLES J. PAULSON, a subject of the King of Sweden, bot-h residents of the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Renovating Phonograph-Needles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to needles for phonographs 'or sound reproducing machines, and our improvements refer particularly to means whereby these needles, when their efiiciency has been impaired by use, may be renovated in a simple and convenient manner.

In brief our invention consists of a needlepoint restoring device which is attachable to and operable by the talking machine, to thus constitute an adjunct thereto, and enlarge its usefulness.

To this end we provide a needle-point re- .storing device in the form of a ferrule,

which may fit removably over the motor;

- spindle or shaft which projects vertically from a phonograph instrument to support and carry with it in its rotation the record table and record. We also provide a needle holder by'which a needle may be inserted within the point restoring device, and held stationary therein so that the point" of the needle may be reset or restored through the rotary'motion imparted to the restoring device by the motor spindle.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a phonograph, showing the renovating attachment applied in service.

Fig. ,2 is an enlarged vertical section of the renovating device, and

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The creation of our invention has arisen from the need existing for some household means whereby phonograph needles can be repointed to extend their period of usefulness, and our efforts, in devising a repointin machine for; home use, have been directe toward the utilization of the phonograph machine itself in the production of the new instrument.

In carrying out our invention we provide a ferrule 1 which is adapted to fit over the upwardly projecting portion 2 of the ver-'- Speeification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

Application filed November 2, 1917. Serial No. 199,998.

tical spindle or shaft of a phonograph or talking machine, which under the usual practice, carries the table 3 upon which the usual records are placed, to rotate the same in operation under the impinging contact of the usual stylus or needle for the reproduction of sound.

The, ferrule 1, which is in the form of a liollow member, is adapted to fit snugly upon the spindle in order that it may rotate therewith. Thus said ferrule 1 may have an interior cross-sectional diameter slightly less than the external diameter of the spindle upon which it is to fit, said ferrule being provided with vertical slits 4:, so that it may expand when pressed snugly into engagement with said spindle, to thus tensionally grip the latter. Axially penetrating the upper portion of the ferrule, which may be solid, is an orifice 5, of suflicient diameter to receive the ordinary needle or stylus; and, interposed within the body of the ferrule, in axial alinement with said orifice 5, is a needle point renovating member 6. This member 6 may be in form of a screw, having a concave end surface 7, so arranged, and of such character that it will answer the desired purpose of renovating the point of a needle broughtinto contact therewith. The member 6, as shown in the drawing, is inserted and adjusted in position in the ferrule 1, by being introduced into a threaded orifice 1 therefor that extends in an upward tangent toward the axial orifice of said ferrule. A clearance or cut away portion 9 in the ferrule, opposite the point therein where the renovating surface lies, serves to expose said surface to observation. Y

Obviously the member 6, may be composed of hardened steel or other material suited to the purpose of restoring a needle point.

The needle holder is in the form of a chuck 10, having an axial orifice 11 to receive a needle 12, a set screw 13 securing said needle in place, and the chuck 10 serving as a handle whereby the needle may be introduced into the orifice 8 in the ferrule, whereby the point of the needle is brought to bear against the surface 6, to be held against that sui'face while the spindle is rotating the ferru e.

It is understood that needles for phonograph use do not terminate in a fine shar point, but instead have a somewhat blunte point, which,in service becomes slightly mis-- shapen or acquires a bur, having the effect of interfering with the purity of tone that can be reproduced from the record by the worn needle point. Hence the principle involved in our invention consists in reshaping In the operation of our invention the ferrule 1 is fitted upon the spindle '2, to revolve therewith, and then a needle 12, by means of its holder, is introduced, point down, into orifice 9, and held with its point in contact with the actuatingsurface 7 of the renovating device. 1 Thus applied a certain number of revolutions of the ferrule 1 will cause the, hardened surface 7 to restore the needle point.

It should be noted that we have achieved good results by making the actuating surface concave in shape, whereby, in the rotation of the ferrule the needle point is given a proper conformation.

While we have shown our needle-point renovating device as driven by the motive power of a phonograph, we are obviously not limited to such means of'operation, and may employ any other suitable means of supporting and revolving said device.

Variations may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of our said invention and parts thereof used without others. i

We claim 1. Point restoring means needles comprising a revoluble member having a needlereceiving orifice, and a point restoring member having a concave axial end surface arranged tangentially to the axis of said needle receiving orifice.

2. Means for renovatin the points of phonograph needles comprising a revoluble member, having a needle receiving orifice, an orifice inclined thereto, the axes of said orifices intersecting, and a point restorin member entered within said inclined ori ce, the

axial end surfaceof said restoring member lying tangentially in the axial path of said needle receiving orifice.

3. Means for renovating the points of phonograph needles comprlsing a revoluble for phonograph member, having a needle receiving orifice,

an orifice inclined thereto, the axes of said orifices intersecting, and a point restoring member entered within said inclined orifice, the end surface of said restoring member being concave and lying tangentially in the axial path of said needle receivin orifice.

Signed at the borough of Brod lyn in the county of Kings and State of New York this 31st day of October A. D. 1917;.

I JAMES E. SIMPSON.

CHARLES J. PAULSON. Witnesses:

M. J. RIDER, v R. J UNE HUMIHREY. 

